I am a huge fan of Lisa Genova. I love a book that makes me see life in someone else's point of view and Lisa Genova never disappoints. In Love Anthony we get the perspective of a mother of a child with autism but we also get the perspective of the Anthony who is living with autism. No one knows for certain what Anthony might be thinking and feeling since he is non-verbal but if anyone is going to have some insight it's likely that it would be Genova. Lisa Genova is a neuroscientist so it's believable that she might have a good idea what she's talking about here.
Olivia is Anthony's mom. Anthony has passed away and Olivia is trying to make sense of why Anthony was the way he was and why he died so young. She's tried talking to God but the answers just aren't coming. She's trying to move on with life but that's tough too. Her new neighbour Beth is also going through her own life crisis and looking for answers. She doesn't have answers for her own problems either but she's found a renewed energy to write a novel which brings some healing in unexpected ways.
Lisa Genova's earlier novel Still Alice is set to be released as a movie in Canada January 23, 2015. This is the story of a professor who begins to experience symptoms of alzheimers. I loved this book and can't wait for the movie. Left Neglected is another of Genova's novels that I loved. Three great novels. I will be eagerly watching for her next book.
Sometimes the right book falls in your hands at the right time. For me, that was Flee, Fly, Flown by Janet Hepburn. I first heard about Flee, Fly, Flown at the Waterloo Public Library's Waterloo Reads event that showcased the 2014 Forest of Reading Evergreen nominees. It was then selected as my book club's read this month. Now that I've finished, I have now gone on to submit a suggestion to Canada Reads that this is the book all of Canada should read because it's the book to break barriers.
Flee, Fly, Flown is the story of two elderly ladies in a nursing home that decide to go on vacation and take a break from the routine. Lillian and Audrey can't remember how old they are, what they had for lunch or whether their spouses are still alive but they are determined to break out of the nursing home and have some fun. The two head out from Ottawa and have their sights set on seeing the Rockie Mountains - no easy task for two elderly ladies with Alzheimers.
Canada Reads 2015 is focusing on books that break barriers and I think Flee, Fly, Flown would fit that perfectly. First, it's Canadian and it takes the reader on a road trip across the western provinces. But most importantly it gives a voice to the elderly. Lillian and Audrey don't get to make choices any more, everything is decided for them and their days are quite repetitive. They don't get to plan their days, decide what they want to eat, the daily activities they participate in and their kids have full control of their money.
Throughout the book I couldn't stop thinking of my own Grandma. At 94 years of age, she has recently moved to a nursing home. I think she is getting the best of care in her home and I believe it to be the best place for her. But my Grandma is still of relatively good health and I'm sure her days are long and lonely. I would be beside myself with worry if she escaped her home and went on a road trip, but part of me kind of wishes her and Audrey would hatch a plan over lunch and go have some fun. Or maybe I can bring her a pizza, we can talk and give her some choices so she doesn't wind up feeling like a lonely, helpless prisoner.
Flee, Fly, Flown is Janet Hepurn's first novel. Hepburn lives in Port Dover, Ontario.